Meaning of 宽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- wide
- broad
- loose
- relaxed
- lenient
- surname Kuan
How to use 宽
宽 describes physical width, like roads, rivers, or clothes that fit loosely, and it also describes a generous or lenient attitude. It often pairs with 窄 (zhǎi, narrow) as its opposite. Example: 这条路很宽。(Zhè tiáo lù hěn kuān.) This road is very wide.
宽 (kuān) has the roof radical 宀 on top, so picture a house so wide that there is room for everything under one roof. A wide roof covers a broad space, which links to wide, loose, and even a relaxed, lenient attitude.
Common mistake: Learners often say 大 (dà) when they mean wide, but 大 means big overall while 宽 means wide from side to side. Also keep the first tone flat and high in kuān, and do not confuse it with 款 (kuǎn, sum of money), which sounds similar but has a third tone.
宽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
宽 kuān · wide · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 宽.
| 宽广 | kuānguǎng | wide; broad |
| 宽度 | kuāndù | width |
| 宽阔 | kuānkuò | expansive; wide |
| 宽恕 | kuānshù | to forgive; forgiveness |
| 宽容 | kuānróng | lenient; tolerant |
| 宽敞 | kuānchang | spacious; wide |
| 宽松 | kuānsōng | spacious; roomy; uncrowded; (of clothes) loose and comfortable |
| 宽泛 | kuānfàn | wide-ranging |
| 宽厚 | kuānhòu | tolerant; generous |
| 拓宽 | tuòkuān | to broaden |
| 宽大 | kuāndà | spacious; wide |
| 宽慰 | kuānwèi | to console; to soothe |
Questions about 宽
What does 宽 mean?
宽 (kuān) means "wide; broad" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 宽?
宽 is made of 1 character: 宽 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 宽 an HSK word?
Yes. 宽 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 宽 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 宽 is written 寬.
What is the difference between 宽敞 and 宽阔?
宽敞 (kuānchang) usually describes indoor spaces like rooms or houses that feel spacious. 宽阔 (kuānkuò) is used more for open, outdoor expanses such as roads, squares, or rivers.
Can 宽 describe a person's character?
Yes. Words like 宽容 (kuānróng, tolerant) and 宽恕 (kuānshù, to forgive) use 宽 to mean generous or lenient toward others. You can say someone has a broad mind with 心胸宽广 (xīnxiōng kuānguǎng).